“This is not about poverty, it’s about culture,” he said, “a culture that glorifies violence, shows disrespect to authority, and says everything about rights but nothing about responsibilities.”

“Now some of the Israeli checkpoints that used to surround the city have been removed, while others are run in a relaxed fashion, if they are staffed at all. The city is open to visitors from all over the West Bank, as well as to Arabs from Israel. In the streets, new cars, including sport utility vehicles, point to growing prosperity. The Nablus Muqata, the authority headquarters destroyed by the Israelis during the second intifada, is being rebuilt.”